Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Rick Farris]

More on Ruben Navarro . . .

Between 1970-71, I fought on the undercard of several promotions headlined by Ruben Navarro. All were for the Olympic Boxing Club.
The nights he fought Rojas, Lomeli, Buchanan and Robertson, I also fought in a prelim.
As stablemates, Ruben and I would always share a dressing room.

If you are around boxing long enough, you will see a lot of different behavior in a dessing room before a fight.
Boxers all act differently. Most stay quiet and to themselves. Others like to talk, joke, act like they are having the time of their lives (maybe they are?).
Some act scared, and those are the ones you best not underestimate. Ruben was scared before a fight. Most fighters are to some degree.
Fear is a good thing, as long as you don't let it get over on you. A little concern is what will make you sharp in a fight, a carefree attitude is death wish.

Personally, I relaxed in the dressing room, once I'd weighed and seen the doctor. I had enough to deal with in the ring, I refused to defeat myself before I got there.
I've seen some sleep, or pretend to sleep, however, there was no sleep in the dressing room of Ruben Navarro.

Ruben was up and down, he'd sit down, stretch back , then sit up, then stand, pace, hit his knees clutching a Rosary.
In the afternoon, before he'd leave for the Olympic, he'd consult with a "psychic," an Aztec lady who lived off of Brooklyn Ave. near Maravilla.
Ruben's histerics used to amuse Johnny Flores, who'd say, "Look at him," pointing to Navarro, "He's dying a thousand deaths." We'd laugh.

Julio Flores, Ruben's trainer, was a calming force in our stable. Nothing excited Julio, and I think this kept Ruben on track.
Before he'd leave the dressing room, after the commissioner had called out "Your on Ruben . . ." the Maravilla Kid would chill out. An instant confidence emerged. He was ready to fight, and he wasn't afraid to jump on an opponent at the opening bell.

I will rewrite the above story for the book. This is a first draft. I won't change much, but add a little more that will take you into the moment, let you spend an evening out with the Maravilla Kid on one of his party nights. I was with him part of the evening. What an experience!


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

Ruben Navarro
"The Maravilla Kid"

Painting by Roger Esty



The "Maravilla Kid" . . .
by Rick Farris


If somebody were to ask me to describe in one word, the boxing style of Ruben Navarro, it would be difficult to do, just as Ruben's style was difficult for opponents to deal with.

Elusive, unorthodox, agrressive, defensive, explosive . . . take your pick?
Ruben was kind of like Houdini when backed into a corner by a power puncher, he was a natural escape artist.
I've seen Ruben Navarro bend, twist and contort his body in so many ways avoiding punishment. One time he dipped so low to the ground while trapped in a corner, I thought he was going to crawl thru his opponents legs. He almost did, but was able to slip around to the outside and turn the tables on his attacker.
I'll say this, his style reaked havoc among some of the greatest lightweights in the world during the late 60's to mid-70's.

I'd meet Ruben Navarro in 1967, a few fights into his pro career, when his longtime coach, Marty Denkin, turned over the Maravilla Kid's contract to Johnny Flores.
I was just a Junior Golden Glover at the time, but when Ruben joined our stable, he joined top professionals such as up and coming heavyweight, Jerry Quarry, and featherweight terror, Dwight "The Hawk" Hawkins.

Ruben Navarro was 100% East L.A.
Navarro grew up in Maravilla, a tough Eastside barrio that spawned many a prizefighter during the past century.
Maravilla was home to former world bantamweight title challeneger Jesus Pimentel, and featherweight title challengers Danny Valdez and Jose Pimentel, Jesus' twin brother.
Of all the great fighters that would come out of East L.A. during the era, none had the charisma of the "Maravilla Kid".

Ruben started his boxing career at the Eastside Boy's Club, under the coaching of Marty Denkin.
Marty, a future Hall of Fame referee, would put young Ruben into the Junior Golden Gloves and eventually take him to the 1964 U.S. Olympic Trials, which took place at the Singer Bowl of the New York World's Fair.

I remember Ruben Navarro back in 1967, when he joined the Johnny Flores stable. Ruben had been a hot shot amateur in Los Angeles from the late 50's thru the 1964 Olympic Trials.
The Olympics that produced Joe Frazier.

Ruben wouldn't make the team that rep'd the USA in Tokyo, but he made it to the trials, and that in itself was an accomplishment.
After the Olympics, Ruben competed in the 1965 Golden Gloves and the went into the Army.
After his hitch in the service was up, Navarro returned to L.A. and turned professional.

Ruben quickly began to dominate the 130 pounders of Los Angeles. Under Denkin, the only blemish on Ruben's career was a draw with future featherweight contender, Tony Alvarado.
He whipped local favorites such Baby Cassius and Leonard Lopez, the older brother of Danny and Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez.
After that, Denkin turned Navarro over to Johnny Flores in late 1967.

With weekly boxing cards broadcast live on TV from the Olympic Auditorium, Ruben Navarro would quickly become one of L.A.'s most popular attractions.

The ELA kid whose friends called him "Jemima", because of his dark skin, was on the edge of boxing stardom.
In 1968, Flores would help turn Ruben Navarro into a world class junior lightweight.

I remember the first time I saw Ruben boxing at the Main Street Gym. He and his old pal, Jose Pimentel, would put on a helluva exhibition.
The next day, I would warm Ruben up, sparring with him before he boxed with both Pimentel and Rod Contreras, another Flores stablemate of ours.

In 1968, Flores would match his newest hot shot with one of the hardest punching top ten rated lightweights in the world, Nigeria's Ray Adigun.
The bout was held at the Olympic Auditorium and Navarro out-boxed and out-punched the African, dropping him twice before the bout was stopped in the ninth round.

A month later he travels to Tokyo with Johnny and Julio Flores, his trainer, and upsets one of the greatest Japanese world champs ever, Hiroshi Kobayashi.
You know that Ruben must have laced him pretty good, the Japanese make it difficult to win in their country.

Less than two months later, it's back to L.A. to make his Forum boxing debut on the undercard of the Dwight Hawkins-Frankie Crawford featherweight showdown.
This time Ruben would be facing the Mexican Lightweight Champ, Arturo Lomeli, in a 12-rounder for the North American Lightweight title.
Lomeli was tough, and he floored Ruben twice in the twelve rounder. Ruben showed his heart, but it wasn't his night.
The Maravilla kid would lose for the first time, but he proved he could come off the deck and fight his way back.

Flores kept Ruben busy, despite the loss to Lomeli, Navarro was on a roll.
He was a hot item in Japan after whipping Kobayashi, and the Japanese would appreciate some revenge.
To get that revenge another world champ, Yoshiaki Numata, would get the call.
Just a few weeks after his first loss, Ruben Navarro , Flores and company were on a jet back to Tokyo.
Again, Ruben had his way with a Japanese champion, but this time he wouldn't have his way with the judges.
After the final bell, Flores said they were confident of another win. They had to settle for a draw.
That's all the Japanses were going to let Navarro leave with this time.

No sooner had Johnny Flores returned to L.A. following Navarro's draw with Numata, he recieved a phone call from Manila.
The phone call would net Ruben Navarro his first world title fight.
Two months after the Numata match, Ruben and team Navarro would be returning to the Orient, this time to the Philipines.
The opponent would be Manila's Rene Barrientos, and the match would be for the Vacant WBC Super-featherweight title.

The title fight would be held in a large outdoor stadium and I recall Flores describing the venue.
Flores said that all of the public rest rooms were closed to the fans, the facilities were used to house cages of fighting game cocks, for cock fights held at the arena on sundays.
The fans would just pee on the corridor walls.

Navarro didn't have much problem out hustling Barrientos, but a hometown decision sent the Maravilla Kid back to L.A. without a title.

During the next year Ruben Navarro would put together a half dozen more victories before being matched with cross-town rival, "Irish" Jimmy Robertson.
This would be a tough match for Navarro, who had been down and behind on points before stopping Robertson on a cut in the fifth.
A rematch would be in order, but first Ruben had other business to deal with in Los Angeles.

A month after Navarro's match with Jimmy Robertson, I would make my pro debut at the Olympic. A month later, I'd have my second pro fight on the undercard of a big L.A. grudge match.
In this bout, my stablemate Ruben Navarro, would take on former two-time world champ, Raul Rojas in the main event.
Rojas had been talking tough in the papers and called the Maravilla Kid, "A dog."

The bout was held in July, 1970 and Navarro had his way with Rojas, sending him to the deck in the ninth round, before capturing a unanimous ten-round decision.
After the beating Ruben laid on Rojas, it was obvious that the only dog in the ring was Raul, a dog with a lot of fleas.

After the bout, Ruben was introduced to my girlfriend's family, which included her sister, a local TV celebrity and her husband, Olympic pole-vault gold medalist and world record holder, Bob Seagren.

The following week, Ruben would join Bob Seagren and myself on our distance runs. Roadwork suddenly became a lot more than a run thru the hills.
In the gym, in the ring, Ruben Navarro would have the better of it when we boxed together. On the trail, things weren't so easy.
Ruben Navarro was a great distance runner. He'd competed on his high school cross country team and would hang in with Seagren on our runs, at least until the end when Bob would kick it up and leave Ruben and I in the dust.
We'd run thru the hills in Monterey Park and occasionally hit the L.A. Coliseum where we'd run stadium stairs with Seagren.

The extensive road work Ruben and I did with Bob Seagren paid off for both us condition wise.
Ruben was hitting his prime and worked hard in the gym, but he played equally hard during the night, when he'd go out drinking and drugging.
When not in training for a specific fight, Ruben's life became one big party.

A couple months after the Rojas victory, Ruben Navarro had to settle some old business.
Aileen Eaton matched Ruben with the only man to defeat him, Mexico's Arturo Lomeli. Again, I would open the show in a four rounder.
During the two years that had passed since his loss to Lomeli, Navarro had defeated two world champs, not to mention rugged Jimmy Robertson.

This bout would be the the first ever to determine an NABF Lightweight Champion, and once again it would be close.
Ruben staggered Lomeli in the third round, but the tough Mexican came back strong. Navarro put on a late rally to pull out a split decision victory.

Ruben closed out 1970 with a two round knockout over Filippino Mar Yuzon at the Olympic, and then would take a few weeks off.
Ruben partied hard during his time off with no idea what awaited him in the new year.

Mando Ramos had lost his lightweight title to Ismael Laguna in early 1970. In his first title defense, Laguna lost the title to Scotland's Ken Buchanan.
Aileen Eaton was anxious for Ramos to win back the championship, and set up a WBA lightweight title match with Buchanan.
The date for the Buchanan-Ramos title fight was set for February 12, 1971 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
After the bout was signed, Johnny Flores informed me that I would be opening the show in a six-rounder.
I was excited to be fighting on a World Championship undercard and was in great shape for the opportunity.
About the same time, Flores signs for Ruben to face Jimmy Robertson in a rematch, roughly six weeks after the Buchanan-Ramos fight.

About a week before the lightweight title fight, I see Ruben at the Olympic Auditorium, attending a thursday night fight card.
It was obvious that Navarro was loaded, stumbling up and down the aisles, shaking hands with fans, taking bows.
I knew that he would be leaving for camp a few days later, and that I'd be joining the camp for a few days of sparring prior to my six-rounder on the title card the following friday.

The day we arrived at the Massacre Canyon Inn in Hemet for training camp, Johnny Flores joins us later in the restaurant.
Flores had been in L.A. all day negotiating with Aileen Eaton over a deal for Navarro, however, it wasn't for his match with Robertson.
As it turns out, Mando Ramos had pulled out of the title fight with Buchanan, just four days prior to the match.
The excuse was that Mando was injured, but we all knew it had something to do with his drug abuse.
The L.A. Sports Arena was nearly sold out for the title fight, and suddenly Eaton had no opponent for Buchanan.
Flores offered up Ruben Navarro as a replacment, and Aileen quickly agreed to the match.
As we are sitting in the restaurant, Flores breaks the news to Ruben, that on friday evening he'd be fighting Ken Buchanan for the World Lightweight Championship.
We were all happy for Ruben, but I was privatley concerned for my stablemate. He was in no conditon to fight anybody, let alone the lightweight champion of the world.
I kept picturing him staggering around the Olympic just a few days earlier, totally drunk and high.

On Friday night, the Maravilla Kid, totally out of condition, stepped into the ring with Ken Buchanan at the L.A. Sports Arena.
I had scored my first pro knockout on the undercard, and was praying that Ruben Navarro could pull off the same thing against Buchanan.
For a moment, I thought my prayer had been answered.

At the opening bell, Ruben darted across the ring and went right to work on Buchanan. Less than halfway thru the round, Navarro lands an overhand right that lands solid on Buchanan's chin.
The tough Scot hits the deck for a flash knockdown and the Los Angeles Sports Arena exploded in excitment.
Buchanan rose quickly and was able to survive Navarro's attempt to put him away.
Navarro's conditioning could not sustain a steady attack and as the bout progressed, Buchanan took control and defeated Navarro by way of a fifteen-round decision.
Navarro had little chance of winning, but considering his conditoning and last minute notice, he impressed most in atttendence.

The following month, Navarro still had another fight to prepare himself for, the rematch with Robertson.
With his bank account getting an unexpected boost with the purse from his title fight, Ruben and Carol Navarro purchased a beautiful Spanish style home in Monterey Park.
Ruben and Carol's new home was just a few blocks from the home of my girlfriend's family.
We would all attend a housewarming party at the Navarro home just a week before the rematch with Jimmy Robertson.

In March of 1971, just over a month after losing to Buchanan, I would open the show the night Ruben would face Jimmy Robertson for the second time at the Olympic.
The bout was scheduled for twelve rounds for the vacant NABF Lightweight title.
Ruben scored well in the third round, but the bout was boring. Both fighters grabbed and held, and following a late rally, Robertson took a close majority decision.

During the next six months Navarro would fight just one time, winning an easy decision over Tony Jumao-As, before signing for another big L.A. showdown.
This time, Ruben would take on one the most popular prizefighters to ever come out of Los Angeles, Armando Ramos.
Ramos was only 22, but had become the youngest boxer in history to win the world lightweight championship.
As a result of his wild life style, he'd also become the youngest lightweight champ to lose the title.

Despite Los Angeles having several world class lightweight contenders, the career of Mando Ramos overshadowed the rest.
Like Navarro, Ramos lived a wild lifestyle and had lost his title only a year after winning it.
This bout wouldn't have a championship tied to it, at least not officially, however, at stake was something more important to both Navarro and Ramos.
Both sought bragging rights as the best lightweight in L.A. and the two were far from strangers.
More than once, Mando Ramos and Ruben Navarro had spent time together partying. There was a friendly respect, but also a pair of big egos backed by big talent.

There was no shortage of animosity going into this bout, but Navarro had another obstacle to consider.
Mando Ramos was the "house fighter" at the Olympic.
Mando's ring talent won the world title, but it was promoter Aileen Eaton's close alliance with Ramos' manager, Jackie McCoy, that made such a match possible.

It was only a matter of time before Ramos and Navarro would meet in the ring, and when they did the fireworks flew.
Ruben trained hard for the match and fought beyond himself. He literally took control of the match and kept Ramos off-balance.
In the end, it had been a very close fight, one that had lived up to all expectations. When the final bell rang, I was certain Navarro had won.
The judges saw it differently, all giving Mando the fight by a slight margin.

Years later, Mando and I would discuss this fight. Like most fighters, Mando believed he was a clear winner.
I told Mando I saw him clearly win many fights, but not the Navarro fight. I didn't keep score, but after ten rounds I thought Ruben had edged him.
Mando smiled and acknowledged that Navarro gave him a difficult evening, then we changed the subject.

Ruben was in great shape for Ramos. and Flores didn't want to give him time to fall out of shape.
Just four weeks after the disappointing loss to Mando Ramos, Navarro would have a chance to face another hot L.A. lightweight, "Irish" Frankie Crawford.

Crawford had engaged in two tough wars with Mando Ramos early in their careers, and had upset Ramos in their first bout.
In the time since, he twice faced featherweight champ, Shozo Saijyo of Japan in Tokyo.
Both bouts with Saijyo were for the title, and it was reported that Crawford had been robbed of the decision in each.

In the first round of Ruben Navarro's bout with Frankie Crawford, the Maravilla Kid scored early, rattling Crawford with a jolting over-hand right to the jaw.
Crawford staggered back and fought to stay on his feet. That was the beginning of the end for Frankie Crawford.
After ten rounds, Navarro scored a near shutout on the scorecards.

In 1972, Navarro would start the year with three wins before being matched with another exceptional L.A. lightweight contender, Rodolfo "El Gato" Gonzalez.
Having fared well in cross-town showdowns with Rojas, Robertson, Ramos and Crawford, Ruben would this time face the last of the local 135 pound contenders.
He would also be facing the deadliest of the lot. A strong, elusive, power puncher with a clever, cunning style that destroyed opposition with devistating body blows.

Rodolfo Gonzalez' career had been stifled thru bad management and health challenges. He had scored thirty five consecutive KO's, a record among world champions of any size or era, but he was avoided for years.
Now under the management of Jackie McCoy, Gonzalez was a stablemate of Mando Ramos, and was starting to get important fights.
Although late in his career, Gonzalez was grateful. Better late than never.

At the Anaheim Convention Center, Ruben and El Gato would go toe-to-toe, but Navarro would spend a lot of time on the ropes, absorbing punishment.
Both men were cut, and at the end of ten rounds, Rodolfo Gonzalez was awarded a close, majority decision.

By this time, I had left the Johnny Flores stable, and after the Gonzalez match, Ruben would also part with Flores.
During the remaining two years of Ruben Navarro's ring career, he would be guided by Harry Kabakoff.
I remember Ruben complaining to myself and another boxer, "Harry takes 50% of my purse!"
The other boxer laughed, "Is that all he's taking? He didn't treat me that well."

During the next nine months, the WBC lightweight title would change hands three times.
Mando Ramos had won the title from Pedro Carrasco. Mando was then KOed by Chango Carmona and lost the title to the Mexican Lightweight champ.
Ramos stablemate, Rodolfo Gonzalez then was given a long awaited title shot, taking on Carmona in his first title defense.
Rodolfo "El Gato" Gonzalez knew he'd only have one chance to become a champion and took full advantage of the opportunity.
El Gato destroyed Chango Carmona, the bout being stopped after twelve rounds. Rodolfo Gonzalez was now the WBC Lightweight Champion of the world.

El Gatos' first title defense would be against the Maravilla Kid. The match would be held at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, the same place where Navarro had fought Ken Buchanan, two years earlier.
It was an all-star card that also featured WBA Lightweight Champ, Roberto Duran, in a non-title fight.

After seeing how easily Rodolfo Gonzalez had handled Chango Carmona, I was concerned for my former stablemate.
Navarro attempted to box El Gato but Gonzalez just kept the pressure on, slamming Ruben with brutal hooks and upper cuts, closing one eye and bloodying his face.
Ruben fought back gamely but in the ninth round, referee George Latka stopped the bout.

After the loss to Gonzalez, Ruben would only fight two more times.
His last bout took place in 1974, at the legendary San Diego Coliseum. The Coliseum was a far cry from the big venues that Navarro had packed during his heyday.
The Coliseum was nothing more than a glorified cock pit, a place that held several hundred fans. I used to consider it a "Graveyard" for L.A. fighters.

I would have my last fight at the San Diego Coliseum, and so would Ruben Navarro a few months later.

In his last ring appearance, the "Maravilla Kid" Ruben Navarro would take on another comebacking former contender, former Mexican featherweight champ, Aurileo Muniz.
Muniz stopped Ruben in the seventh round. Navarro called it quits, never to return to boxing.

A few months later, I see Ruben at the Atlantic Square shopping center in Monterey Park. He was with his wife Carol and three children, Todd, Julie and Lance.
Ruben said he had been working carrying steel for a freeway construction company, and his wife Carol had become involved with the Jehova's Witness religon.

The next time I would see or talk with Ruben Navarro would be more than twenty years later. He was a different man.
Ruben Navarro had many years of sobriety and himself had become a Jehovahs Witmess.
He looked good, a lot heavier, but a lot happier inside. His dark black hair had turned white, his features had softened.
However, when I looked deep into his coal black eyes I could see the warrior of days past. And when he spoke, the voice was the same deep gravely tone I'd come to know very well.

Today I see a lot of sad cases when I visit with boxers from the past. Not so with Ruben Navarro.
After boxing, Ruben would own several businesses and all have done well. He had transformed himself from a wild Hell raiser to a dedicated family man.

East L.A.'s Ruben Navarro, the "Maravilla Kid" made it big in boxing, and even bigger in life.
A true success story!

[dagosd2000]

Great story, Rick, great story on Ruben Navarro. Great painting Roger. Story and painting are up in my blog....

Thanks Frank
I think Rick and me scored a KO with this one.

[Chuck1052]

Rick, you did a great job on your story about Ruben Navarro!

- Chuck Johnston

[Rick Farris]

Rick, you did a great job on your story about Ruben Navarro!

- Chuck Johnston

Thanks, Chuck!

[kikibalt]

In bed watching the 1939 classic "Golden Boy" starring William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck...

[Randyman]

Rick and Roger, the Navarro painting and story were fantastic. I'm seeing a pattern here. keep it up!! I mean it, it was really great stuff.

Randy

[Randyman]

In bed watching the 1939 classic "Golden Boy" starring William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck...

I like that movie Frank, I've seen it several times. It was on a couple of weeks ago. I believe it was William Holden's first starring role.

[Randyman]

Great story, Rick, great story on Ruben Navarro. Great painting Roger. Story and painting are up in my blog....

Thanks Frank
I think Rick and me scored a KO with this one.

A first round KO!

[kikibalt]

In bed watching the 1939 classic "Golden Boy" starring William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck...

I like that movie Frank, I've seen it several times. It was on a couple of weeks ago. I believe it was William Holden's first starring role.

I too had seen the movie a few times, but it had been some time since I seen it last...

[kikibalt]

Rick, you did a great job on your story about Ruben Navarro!

- Chuck Johnston

That means a lot coming from Chuck, Rick.....

[Randyman]

Frank, I just polished off a huge bowl of Menudo con Patas. I was thinking of you. Jeri went this morning to get a pot at Super Burrito. They do a good job with their Menudo.

Menudo does for me what spinach does for Popeye. It can cure a cold and save you from a hangover. It's good for what ails you.

Randy

[Randyman]

The Three Stooges - Punch Drunks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-ikQeKJPYM
A little comic relief

Randy

[dagosd2000]

Vicente Saldivar

[kikibalt]

Frank, I just polished off a huge bowl of Menudo con Patas. I was thinking of you. Jeri went this morning to get a pot at Super Burrito. They do a good job with their Menudo.

Menudo does for me what spinach does for Popeye. It can cure a cold and save you from a hangover. It's good for what ails you.

Randy

Thats what I had yesterday (Friday), as I do every Friday morning....

[Rick Farris]

Rick, you did a great job on your story about Ruben Navarro!

- Chuck Johnston

That means a lot coming from Chuck, Rick.....

And I'm honored, Frank.
Next up I'm going to tackle Frankie Crawford.
Last time I saw somebody tackle Crawford was in a North Hollywood street fight back in the mid 70's.
They scuffled on the gorund for a moment, before Frankie got loose.
Once he freed himself, the fight quickly ended. Moments later, we were racing off in a mutual friend's Mustang.
The police were called, and the guy who started trouble with Frankie left the scene in an ambulance, I was told.
The trouble maker was a big guy wearing a Notre Dame sweatshit. He accused Frankie of trying to step in line in front of him, which he had not.
Crawford looked the guy up and down, didn't say a word. When Frankie smirked, the guy asked, "What's so funny you little prick?"
That comment changed the events of the day. Frankie didn't lash out, he calmly began to bait the big guy.
The big oaf got madder and madder until he finally pushed Crawford and attempted to take him to the ground.
How often do you see a guy knocked OUT COLD in the street? Damn that Crawford could hit!


-Rick Farris

[Randyman]

"The magnificent bronze statue “The Boxer” or “Apollonius Boxer” (slide) is not a victorious young athlete with a perfect face and body, but a heavily battered, defeated veteran whose upward gaze speaks of the defeat he has just experienced. His nose is broken and his cheeks are scared. How different this is than the Riace Warrior of the Early Classical period."... From Art of Ancient Greece

http://www.qohs.org/depts/fpa/art/art_h ... erfive.htm

[dagosd2000]

A BLOW TO THE HEAD

I'm watching the big game right now. Florida and LSU. Tim Tebow has been out two weeks recovering from a concussion. Throughout the 1st half all eyes are on Tebow. Will they play it safe with him? How will he react when he gets hit for the first time? The second time? The third time and so on. For the rest of the season there is going to be worry.Right now as I'm typing some gal reporter on the sidelines is asking the Florida coach if he's going to be "conservative"with Tebow.

The talk lately about concussions in football have become a staple topic with the sports writers. I mentioned this a while back. I mean football players play with a helmet. This isn't one of those flimsy helmets they make motocyclists wear. A football helmet is like a rock. On impact it disperses the blow.To be honest any football player who suffers a concussion would probably be killed if he wasn't wearing his.

Imagine playing football without any helmets? It would be like rugby. You wouldn't see the violent collisions. The game would slow down.Real boring.

So is a football helmet just as much a weapon as it is used for protection purposes? Sure it is.You can play football with a lot more "guts" wearing a helmet that's like throwing a pipe wrench at someone.Another thing. If a football player punches another player in the head(the other guy has his helmet with a face mask on ),it's a unnecessary roughness penalty. Unsportsman like conduct.I knew a guy who did that in a game I was in and the guy wound up breaking all the knuckles in his right hand and then they threw a flag and then they through him out of the game! Brother.

Brings me to boxing. Been around gyms and fighters and trainers,promoters,matchmakers...the gamut. I swear I never heard anybody talk about safety. Oh this guy got knocked out last time out. Let's protect him.He should take it easy. Yeah,the fans would "boo" him out of the ring and he'd never get another match. The commission can keep him out for a time,but they can take the fighter to another state and have him back in there the next day.Anyway ,who ever told Arturo Gatti to slow down?

That brings up head protection for the fighter. Can you imagine the big fight with both boys wearing head gear? Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano with the head gear. I just couldn't see that. Maybe that's why fighting is in its own category. Out of sight,out of mind,unless you're a fan of it.

[Rick Farris]

A BLOW TO THE HEAD

I'm watching the big game right now. Florida and LSU. Tim Tebow has been out two weeks recovering from a concussion. Throughout the 1st half all eyes are on Tebow. Will they play it safe with him? How will he react when he gets hit for the first time? The second time? The third time and so on. For the rest of the season there is going to be worry.Right now as I'm typing some gal reporter on the sidelines is asking the Florida coach if he's going to be "conservative"with Tebow.

The talk lately about concussions in football have become a staple topic with the sports writers. I mentioned this a while back. I mean football players play with a helmet. This isn't one of those flimsy helmets they make motocyclists wear. A football helmet is like a rock. On impact it disperses the blow.To be honest any football player who suffers a concussion would probably be killed if he wasn't wearing his.

Imagine playing football without any helmets? It would be like rugby. You wouldn't see the violent collisions. The game would slow down.Real boring.

So is a football helmet just as much a weapon as it is used for protection purposes? Sure it is.You can play football with a lot more "guts" wearing a helmet that's like throwing a pipe wrench at someone.Another thing. If a football player punches another player in the head(the other guy has his helmet with a face mask on ),it's a unnecessary roughness penalty. Unsportsman like conduct.I knew a guy who did that in a game I was in and the guy wound up breaking all the knuckles in his right hand and then they threw a flag and then they through him out of the game! Brother.

Brings me to boxing. Been around gyms and fighters and trainers,promoters,matchmakers...the gamut. I swear I never heard anybody talk about safety. Oh this guy got knocked out last time out. Let's protect him.He should take it easy. Yeah,the fans would "boo" him out of the ring and he'd never get another match. The commission can keep him out for a time,but they can take the fighter to another state and have him back in there the next day.Anyway ,who ever told Arturo Gatti to slow down?

That brings up head protection for the fighter. Can you imagine the big fight with both boys wearing head gear? Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano with the head gear. I just couldn't see that. Maybe that's why fighting is in its own category. Out of sight,out of mind,unless you're a fan of it.

Roger . . . That was an excellent essay on head protection. You are so right about football, there would be a lot of fatalities if they played without that protection.
You also made an excellent point relating to the mass of a helmet's structure. People in America ssume that everybody knows how a football helmet feels when you pick one up, however, far less people than one might think. You have two different type of helmets. You have the one's that are sold in toy stores, along with a football like uniform, something that kids might wear in a sandlot game. They are light and flimsy. Then you have a "real" football helmet, like you'll see high school, college and pros wear. Those helmets are heavy, thick & padded inside. I remember when I played on a Pop Warner league as a 11-year-old. When I received my helmet, it was nothing like the ones I'd see at a Sav-On drug store. On a mature adult, with a strong neck, it's protection. However, on a young, maturing teenager, that heavy head piece can put the neck in danger. The immature neck muscles will be at risk, thus the spinal cord.

Helmets in boxing, aside from protecting a boxer from facial cuts or ear damage, they are more a liability than an asset. First off, it will not prevent a blow from KOing a boxer. It will also effect the fighters vision, thus making him take more punches than were necessary. A headgear is real impressive as it wraps around a boxer's cranium, but you rarely see a guy knocked out from a blow to the forehead or ear. There is no protection for the skulls most sensitive area, the back of the head. It's assumed that since it's illegal to hit a fighter behind the head, that it doesn't happen. That's like saying a low blow is illegal, so why wear a cup? Simple, accidents happen and often a fighter will deliberatly attack an illegal area in his pursuit of a victory.

In the gym, use the headguard. In the ring, you are safer without one. My opinion.


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

Willie Pep vs. Fabela Chavez . . .

Fabela Chavez was a great featherweight, one of the best to come from Los Angeles during L.A.'s "Golden Era" (1930's-50's).
When matched with the great Willie Pep, Chavez was just another fighter. That's the way Pep made just about everybody he fought look.
We all have our favorites, but I can't remember seeing a greater "pure boxer" than Willie Pep.

I slipped a DVD of the above fight into my computor screen. It was held in November of 1952. I was a few months old. Historian Chuck Johnston, a few weeks old?
This was what boxing was about when Chuck & I started life. There was a true beauty to the art.

Even in defeat, Fabela Chavez looked good. He had that classic boxer/puncher style, classic defensive skill . . . chin down, hands up up, elbows in, beautiful footwork, always balanced and ready to box or throw hard, head moving, subtle feints, lightining fast counters, always jabbing, but they'd mix up their offense, they'd keep you off balance and lower the boom at first opportunity.

Pep was the master, a step ahead of Chavez, but always at risk. Pep was a guy who would take risks, betting on his skills to take or keep control. He usually came out on top. I'd love to have been a kid on the sidelines of a Willie Pep gym workout. Just as I once was able to sit near a ring at the Main Street Gym, and watch the likes of a retired Sugar Ray Robinson, or past prime Sonny Liston, as they boxed top contenders before my eyes. I'd love to have seen Willie Pep in the gym each day as he prepared for a fight with Chavez, or Wright, Saddler? It wouldn't matter, I'd just like to see him moving up close.

Something very special about being in the presence of a true all-time great as they prepare for a match.
Most of us who post here know the feeling, I'm sure. As a kid, you find yourself working out in the same place as your heros.
They get to know you as they see you everyday. Sometimes you actually box them in workouts.
There is such a connection. You feel a part of something big, and in reality you are.
Something about trading blows with these guys will make you a better fighter, sometimes the opposiite.
But you learn something about them, regardless of whether you are going light, or banging hard, you have stepped into the world of a great fighter.
A world that defines his existance, one he will protect like a mother bear protects a cub.
You will sense the energy, and if you are smart, you will learn something about the world and life from the experience. Something beyond the act of prizefighting.


-Rick Farris

[dagosd2000]

Archie Moore

[Rick Farris]

Archie Moore

Rog, you can write Archie Moore better than me.
This story should be yours.

[dagosd2000]

Archie Moore

Rog, you can write Archie Moore better than me.
This story should be yours.

LOOKING OUTSIDE

My first teaching assignment on a regular basis was a school for severely handicapped kids. The kids were in wheelchairs. Most of them had cerebral palsy. You pretty much had to do everything for them.Feed them.Change their diapers.I didn't mind though.I'd feel like a bum if I'd hated doing that.

It wasn't clear what I was supposed to teach them,so I would put on a record and begin singing. Maybe those kids couldn't talk,but I sure could make them laugh.Those kids never got many visitors. After a while their parents even stopped coming around.i got along with everyone and liked working there.

Driving home from work I would pass Archie Moore's ABC Club(Any Boy Can).It was a boxing gym run by the old Champ. I think he was getting funding from some government agency.I used to like to stop in and see how things were working out.Moore's gym was in a little run down strip mall in East San Diego.It was between a taco shop and a laundry mat.


The kids were from the neighborhood. Black and Mexican kids getting instruction from a legend.A master. I wondered how many of those kids realized who their teacher was. Archie not only taught boxing to the boys,but tried to instill discipline and a set of values to build character.He had signs on the wall that posted fines for swearing. The "F" word I remember was a buck. 'Ol Arch would have to kick in the pot a few times himself. I remember no drugs or liquor was tolerated.Archie ran a tight ship.

One day after work I dropped in to see if I could be of some assistance.Archie was lining up a sparring session between two of the smaller youngsters.Arch was working to put on the gloves on one of the boys who looked pretty uninterested.Archie then looked around to me.
"Do me a favor. Get the gloves on that other kid."
Only a few times Archie ever called me by my name,and I think that was only when he wasn't in a hurry. At the time he was up to his work in alligators.

Archie was wearing this stocking cap with sweat pouring down from his forehead. One of Archie's sons was showing two boys how to skip rope. I could tell they were new to it because of those exaggerated prancy hops.The kids would do a few jumps and then get their feet tangled in the ropes.

As Arch and me were ready to put the combatants in the ring,I asked the Mongoose how things going were with the club.He had just finished lacing his kid's gloves when he looked at me.
"Pretty good.They give me a fair stipend."
The boys were ready to go and Moore signalled them to touch gloves and spar.

Both boys weren't shy of each other and I could see Archie with a big smile.
"They're raw,"he said,"but with practice,they'll develop."
"I'm glad everthing is going smoothe."
"Yes Roger,things could be worse. It's better for these kids to be in here than out in the street."

I looked over to the old fighter. His eyes were on the boys. Archie goatee was gray and he stooped a bit more with his shoulders.I knew Archie was always looking for that special fighter that would take care of his finances. Cassius Clay,before he became Muhammd Ali,was a young kid out of the Olympics when Archie had him up at his camp in Ramona,but Cassius didn't last long. Archie had him doing chores.Clay didn't feel up to washing dishes and sweeping floors. Besides,Moore wanted to teach Clay how to box conventionally. Cassius Clay never did anything having to do with convention.

The boys were starting to get arm weary.Archie told them to go one more round.
"I'm paying my bills,"said the old timer.
I never asked him what happened to all his money. After the final round,Archie pulled the two kids over. He gave me a towel. I began drying off my kid as Archie started to towel off his .
"Yeah,"he said,"I had some crafty managers."
As I put the towel around my kid's shoulders,I looked at Arch. He had stopped working on his kid. His forearms rested on the top rope.
"I was married five times,"he barely muttered.

He stared out the door looking into the parking lot when he said that.

[Rick Farris]

Archie Moore

Rog, you can write Archie Moore better than me.
This story should be yours.

LOOKING OUTSIDE

My first teaching assignment on a regular basis was a school for severely handicapped kids. The kids were in wheelchairs. Most of them had cerebral palsy. You pretty much had to do everything for them.Feed them.Change their diapers.I didn't mind though.I'd feel like a bum if I'd hated doing that.

It wasn't clear what I was supposed to teach them,so I would put on a record and begin singing. Maybe those kids couldn't talk,but I sure could make them laugh.Those kids never got many visitors. After a while their parents even stopped coming around.i got along with everyone and liked working there.

Driving home from work I would pass Archie Moore's ABC Club(Any Boy Can).It was a boxing gym run by the old Champ. I think he was getting funding from some government agency.I used to like to stop in and see how things were working out.Moore's gym was in a little run down strip mall in East San Diego.It was between a taco shop and a laundry mat.


The kids were from the neighborhood. Black and Mexican kids getting instruction from a legend.A master. I wondered how many of those kids realized who their teacher was. Archie not only taught boxing to the boys,but tried to instill discipline and a set of values to build character.He had signs on the wall that posted fines for swearing. The "F" word I remember was a buck. 'Ol Arch would have to kick in the pot a few times himself. I remember no drugs or liquor was tolerated.Archie ran a tight ship.

One day after work I dropped in to see if I could be of some assistance.Archie was lining up a sparring session between two of the smaller youngsters.Arch was working to put on the gloves on one of the boys who looked pretty uninterested.Archie then looked around to me.
"Do me a favor. Get the gloves on that other kid."
Only a few times Archie ever called me by my name,and I think that was only when he wasn't in a hurry. At the time he was up to his work in alligators.

Archie was wearing this stocking cap with sweat pouring down from his forehead. One of Archie's sons was showing two boys how to skip rope. I could tell they were new to it because of those exaggerated prancy hops.The kids would do a few jumps and then get their feet tangled in the ropes.

As Arch and me were ready to put the combatants in the ring,I asked the Mongoose how things going were with the club.He had just finished lacing his kid's gloves when he looked at me.
"Pretty good.They give me a fair stipend."
The boys were ready to go and Moore signalled them to touch gloves and spar.

Both boys weren't shy of each other and I could see Archie with a big smile.
"They're raw,"he said,"but with practice,they'll develop."
"I'm glad everthing is going smoothe."
"Yes Roger,things could be worse. It's better for these kids to be in here than out in the street."

I looked over to the old fighter. His eyes were on the boys. Archie goatee was gray and he stooped a bit more with his shoulders.I knew Archie was always looking for that special fighter that would take care of his finances. Cassius Clay,before he became Muhammd Ali,was a young kid out of the Olympics when Archie had him up at his camp in Ramona,but Cassius didn't last long. Archie had him doing chores.Clay didn't feel up to washing dishes and sweeping floors. Besides,Moore wanted to teach Clay how to box conventionally. Cassius Clay never did anything having to do with convention.

The boys were starting to get arm weary.Archie told them to go one more round.
"I'm paying my bills,"said the old timer.
I never asked him what happened to all his money. After the final round,Archie pulled the two kids over. He gave me a towel. I began drying off my kid as Archie started to towel off his .
"Yeah,"he said,"I had some crafty managers."
As I put the towel around my kid's shoulders,I looked at Arch. He had stopped working on his kid. His forearms rested on the top rope.
"I was married five times,"he barely muttered.

He stared out the door looking into the parking lot when he said that.

I doubt there is another livng person capable of writing Archie Moore as you do.
I've enjoyed getting to know the "Old Mongoose" thru your eyes.


-Rick Farris

[dagosd2000]

Thanks Rick
Talking to people in South East San Diego ,who knew Archie , all have an "Archie Moore Story." Every story is a gem.